Watch Before Viewing Year One

June 17, 2009

As we’ve always suspected Jack Black is a caveman and to celebrate his return to Year One, Movies.ie takes a look at some prehistoric antics to get you mood!

THE LIFE OF BRIAN

On a midnight clear 2,000 years ago, three wise men enter a manger where a babe is wrapped in swaddling clothes. It is an infant called Brian…and the three wise men are in the wrong manger. For the rest of his life, Brian finds himself regarded as something of a messiah — yet he’s always in the shadow of this other guy from Galilee. Brian is witness to the Sermon of the Mount, but his seat is in such a bad location that he can’t hear any of it (“Blessed are the cheesemakers?”). Ultimately, he is brought before Pontius Pilate and sentenced to crucifixion, which takes place at that crowded, nonexclusive execution site a few blocks shy of Calvary. Rather than utter the Last Six Words, Brian leads his fellow crucifixees in a spirited rendition of a British music-hall cheer-up song “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.” A classic from the Monty Python gang, Jack Black has described Year One as a similar to The Life of Brian with his co-star Michael Cera comparing the flick to Ghostbusters and Knocked Up. Um, we’re not exactly sure how all three work together but suffice to say – expect plenty of comedy!

HISTORY OF THE WORLD – Part 1

Mel Brooks produced, directed, wrote, and starred in this episodic comedy. The film is divided into five sequences that play like blue-toned Eddie Cantor vaudeville sketches — “The Dawn of Man,” “The Stone Age,” The Spanish Inquisition,” “The Bible,” and “The Future.” Also included is a Brooksian depiction of The Last Supper and a long-winded sequence about the French Revolution.. Brooks then appears in an Old Testament sequence as Moses, descending from Mount Sinai with three heavy stone tablets bearing the 15 Commandments; after he drops one of these tablets, the laws of God become 10 Commandments.. The Spanish Inquisition is a musical production number with monks torturing Jews to lively Broadway musical strains. Nobody brings history to life like Mel Brooks!

ERIK THE VIKING

An unusually principled young Viking becomes increasing uncomfortable with all the killing and plundering that goes with the job, and sets out on a journey in order to bring about world peace. Former Terry Jones attempts to have his story of Erik’s seemingly hopeless quest operate as both witty, lunatic satire and sincere children’s fantasy and while it’s not quite up to his Monty Python days, the cast and comedy within will entertain – plus, who doesn’t appreciate seeing Tim Robbins make a fool of himself?

ENCINO MAN

A clueless caveman meets his intellectual match in the form of Pauly Shore in this teen-oriented comedy. Dave Morgan (aka the Hobbit Sean Astin) is a high school student in Encino, California, where he spends most of his time with his dazed-and-confused buddy Stoney Brown (Shore) and tries to figure out why his girlfriend Robyn left him for thick-headed jock Matt Hoping to boost his low status in the High School pecking order, Dave wants to put in a swimming pool at his family’s home for a massive post-prom party. While Dave and Stoney are digging the pit, an earthquake strikes that unearths a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser). To Dave and Stoney’s surprise, the frozen Neanderthal soon comes to life, and after a bath, a shave, and a new set of clothes, the boys are passing off their dim-witted-but-friendly companion “Link” as an exchange student from Estonia. Link soon becomes the most popular guy at school, and Dave is determined to use Link’s social success as a way to win back Robyn and foil Matt.